Consider where you’re placing your lighting

The most important part of outdoor LED lighting is to look at where you’re placing them. If you’re looking to highlight a particular area, such as catering stalls or seating, you need to consider where to put them in the venue. This decision is vital, as too many lights in one area can leave your guests overwhelmed, but too little looks uninviting. Your duty is to calm and leave your attendees relaxed, so the layout of your event should always take priority.

If you’re hosting an event during the daytime, we’ve produced a guide on the correct use of lighting. Image projection from a gobo projector, for example, provide the best illusions when in shaded areas, so perhaps consider hiring a marquee or even a gazebo. If you determine which lighting will be undercover, you can then start planning the all-important decoration.

Electrical outlets

The practicalities of outdoor garden lights should always be considered - especially when requiring electrical outlets. Make sure your event layout is designed around those outlets, with safety at the forefront. In our experience, we’ve found it easier to sketch your event plan, circling those outlets to ensure you get an idea of what it will look like on the day. This then allows you to plan for covering the electrical outlets with chairs, podiums or tables. Prior planning also enables you to make any necessary changes with your LED party lights, and can even outline whether your location is suitable or not.

Always remember safety when it comes to electrical outlets. Keep the wires out of the paths of your guests - you could even cover them with tape - and take into account all potential hazards with your electrical outlets. Battery powered lights are a great alternative for smaller outdoor events, and tend to be more cost-effective.

Gobo Lights

We’ve seen, firsthand, the popularity for gobo lights, and there’s no stopping the indoor and outdoor event lighting. However, you must consider where you’re placing your outdoor gobo projector, factoring in safety and the clarity of your image projection. Gobo projectors and gobo lights are an example of lighting that needs shade. While the outdoor light projector will provide a clear image of your event, it needs to be kept away from natural light. Your gobo projector would be best in a marquee, if it happens to be a large-scale event, and can be customised to your requirements. You could even opt for an image projector of your company logo or brand message, if it is required for a product launch. The outdoor light projector will need to be close to electrical outlets, so should be considered in your venue layout.

Uplighting

As an event planner, we imagine you have encountered uplighting. This form of even lighting is ground-based, and most commonly used for trade shows and product launches to illuminate the likes of pop-up banners. Similar to that of the outdoor gobo projector, uplighting will work best when displayed in darker areas, or at an event held after dark. A huge benefit to uplighting is that it is cost-effective and is available in colour, as well as black and white.

Outdoor Hanging Lights

Outdoor hanging lights come in a range of forms: festoon, string or even fairy lights. The rustic trend is predicted to grow even more in 2018, for both corporate events and weddings, and these lights enable you to incorporate the theme. Standard lighting does not do an event justice these days, and an alternative for corporate parties is that of festoon lighting. You can string these lights from trees, drape them around your seating or catering stalls, and light the paths for the guests. They are budget-friendly for the smaller events, and also complement the outdoor event lighting mentioned above. You could pair the festoon lights with image projection for additional visual appeal and safety for darker areas at your venue.

To discuss your lighting options or our gobo projectors and gobo catalogue for your event, get in touch with one of our team today.